The sound of Rono's rhythmic footsteps echoed through the corridor, growing louder with each step. Standing stiffly, Vice Admiral Dorre's expression was filled with panic unlike anything she had experienced before. What exactly was this demon planning to do to her?
A system prompt flickered in Rono's mind:
[Confirmed: Initial slave imprint user — Dorre.]
As Rono stopped in front of her, he raised his right hand. A dark mark began to condense above his palm, swirling like a brand of cursed fate. Dorre's frightened eyes widened as Rono pressed the mark directly onto her forehead.
"Ahhhh!!" she cried out.
When she opened her eyes again, she stared quietly at Rono. Though he was clearly a pirate—her sworn enemy—she couldn't summon any hatred. In fact, a strange, submissive desire welled up in her chest. She wanted to yield to him.
An illusion?
No… it was very real.
Because of the slave mark, Dorre had truly fallen under Rono's control.
"Dorre…" a gentle voice rang in her ears.
A flicker of shadow crossed Rono's gaze, but he quickly regained composure.
"Yes, Master~," Dorre purred dreamily, her tone obedient and soft.
The other girls in the room froze in shock.
"Master?!"
Was this staged?
What did they miss?!
Still reeling, they turned their bewildered gazes to Rono. He gave an awkward cough and chuckled, "Don't worry, it's just one of my abilities."
But that didn't exactly help. Some girls looked even more suspicious, wondering if Rono had secretly used the same ability on them at some point.
With more women joining the Rono Pirates, roles among the crew were becoming more defined.
Crew Roster:
Total members: 14
Main crew: Kaya, Nami, Nojiko, Makino, Kalmon, Tashigi, Weiwei, Robin, Valentine, Golden Week, Sara, Raki, Conis, Dorre
Chefs: Various
Doctor: Kia
Brewers: Machino, Weiwei
Baristas: Valentine, Golden Week, Sara, Raki, Conis
Combatants: Nami, Tashigi, Robin, Dorre
Though the crew had 14 women, only 4 were actual combatants. A tragedy by pirate standards—but Rono had no choice. Strong, beautiful women were often found among the top forces: Yonko crews, Marines, or the Shichibukai. Most were based in the New World.
Still, that didn't mean the others were weak. Weiwei and the rest simply didn't specialize in combat.
"Yes, Captain," Dorre replied with a soft smile, gazing at Rono with admiration.
"What does that mean?" she asked, suddenly confused by her own behavior.
The other girls giggled and shook their heads. She was clearly new to this.
"Dorre, since you just joined, get to know the others. I've got something to prepare," Rono instructed.
"Of course. I'll do my best to get along with everyone," Dorre said, smiling at him with the gentle elegance of a former navy commander.
"Oh, and one more thing—" Rono turned back to the group before leaving, "Don't miss tomorrow's breakfast. I've got a surprise for you all."
With that, he walked out of the hall.
The moment he disappeared, the girls all turned their gazes to Dorre.
"W-Why are you looking at me like that?!" she snapped.
[Congratulations, Host, for successfully conquering crew member Dorre. Would you like to claim your reward?]
"Yes, claim it!" Rono responded without hesitation.
The slave mark worked better than expected. Rono had once thought his only choices were to either kill or release his captives. But now, with the system reward offering another path, he didn't even consider rejecting it—especially if the woman in question was beautiful.
[Reward: Thousand-Blade Demon Sword – National Treasure of Kamihashi.]
Wielded by assassin leader Sai of the Genbu Kingdom, the Thousand-Blade Sword could morph into countless forms mid-combat, making it the most aggressively versatile weapon known. But it also drained vitality, making it deadly to the unprepared. Its power rivaled the supreme swords of the pirate world.
Rono barely registered the system message. He was too distracted by excitement as he opened the system's storage space.
Outside, both the Merry Go and Ark Maxim ships rested quietly at port.
And in Rono's mind, one word pulsed like gold—pure gold.
Youth restoration. Life extension.
The most precious treasure of the pirate world—desired even by the World Government.
Images of luxury brands and lavish lifestyles danced through Rono's thoughts. With enough gold, he could live happily with his crew of beauties for the rest of his days, sailing the seas without worry. Every morning, he'd wake to radiant smiles…
Of course, if the day came that even that tired him, he'd choose his own path—advance or retreat.
Snapping back to focus, Rono divided a chunk of pure gold into precise ring-sized pieces, preparing small gifts.
Originally, after the Sky Island expedition, he had planned to pick up Kalifa at Water 7.
The next morning…
Unexpectedly, Dorre had spent the whole night chatting with the girls, slowly integrating into their circle. Though she only submitted to Rono, she respected every woman in his crew because they, too, belonged to him.
When Rono presented the pure gold, the girls were dazzled by its unmatched brilliance.
"What's this? It's too small!" Nami pouted. "No matter how valuable, it's useless if it's tiny!"
Rono smirked. She remembered the events from the night before, and he did too.
This was serious stuff. The fewer people who knew, the better. If word ever got out, the chaos would be unimaginable.
It wasn't about fearing thieves—it was about fearing their greed.
Dorre's white neck turned red from embarrassment, her face as flushed as an apple. After all, she'd also been taken by Rono the previous night.
And now she fully understood the workings of the Rono Pirates.
"If it's about beauty, there's definitely one more I've got my eye on," Rono said bluntly. "Kalifa. She's currently working undercover at Iceburg's side in Water 7."
He hadn't forgotten his promise to Brogy and Dorry. Upon arrival, they would drop Kalifa off near the judicial island.
"Nojiko, let's go for a walk," Rono suggested.
"Okay!!"
Clothes, jewelry, hairpins, sandals… even hearing the words made Rono dizzy. Was this just a universal trait of women?
In the days that followed, life returned to normal aboard the ship.
And yes—he had completely conquered Dorre.
Though she didn't get much development in the original story, Dorre was undeniably top-tier in terms of looks.
Freshness +10.
In short: Exquisite.
The girls wanted to enjoy Water 7, but to avoid unwanted trouble, Rono first hijacked a pirate ship nearby and used it as their disguise.
The Ark Maxim was striking—too much so.
The Merry Go was too small and crowded.
So the girls split into groups of three and entered the famous city. Each went shopping: books, clothes, snacks—whatever they wanted.
Left behind on shore were only Rono, Tashigi, and Dorre.
"Nothing you want to buy?" Rono asked.
Tashigi shook her head—she only cared about training and swords.
Dorre, too, shook her head. She was only interested in Rono.
"Alright. Then let's go find Kalifa," Rono said, signaling them with a glance.
The two women moved in perfect sync—one to his left, one to his right—each clinging to an arm.
After asking around, they made their way to the headquarters of the Galley-La Company.
According to the plot, Kalifa was currently working undercover as Iceburg's secretary.
The shipbuilding capital of the world saw countless ships come and go every day.
And soon… another beautiful woman would join the crew.